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25% of corks rejected after analysis by maker
by Carolyn Evans-Hammond, published on Decanter.com, 10/21/2003

An Australian cork manufacturer says its Portuguese quality control laboratory rejects a quarter of all corks after analysis by its revolutionary new TCA detection equipment.

Cork Supply Australia, which produces more than 100m corks per year for the domestic wine industry, and has 22 per cent of the Australian natural cork market, says its TCA detection technology is the most advanced available.

It revealed last month that its laboratory in Adelaide uses equipment that can detect precise levels of trichloroanisole (TCA or cork taint) in corks.

'This is one of the most sophisticated laboratories for cork testing in Australia,' said Neil Walsh, managing director of Cork Suppy Australia, which uses Global Quality Control to screen corks before transferring them to its laboratory in Australia. 'Our laboratory will lead to improved cork quality for Australian wine companies and, therefore, the consumer,' he added.

Cork Supply Australia is part of a larger global organisation that pioneered cork taint detection technology in 2000 in cooperation with US non-profit organisation Cork Quality Council.

The technology, called Solid Phase Micro Extraction–Gas Chromatogram/Mass Spectrometer (SPME-GC/MS) testing, determines cork taint in parts per trillion—the lowest levels detected by the cork industry to date.

'Cork Supply's current average is 0.68 parts per trillion,' said James Herwatt, vice president of Cork Supply USA. 'That level is below the human threshold, and will not adversely affect the flavours of wine.'

TCA can be detected on the nose and palate at levels of two parts per trillion or more.

The next stage of development of this technology will aim to detect a broader range of compounds that can adversely affect the flavour of wine or lead to the development of cork taint, according to Walsh.

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